Showing events on this day in years past that shaped history... just, not our history.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Carnival of Cryptids Released!

In 1937, more than one hundred cattle in Central Brazil were killed, their tongues ripped out. Witnesses reported an encounter with mapinguari, "the fetid beast", who was known by natives to roam. It was a huge monster, eight or nine feet tall with huge claws, a scream that could petrify the bravest of men, a second mouth in its belly, and reeking, matted hair over skin so thick arrows and swords merely bounced off.

Modern scientists believe the rumored creature could be a genetic memory of the mylodon, the Giant Ground Sloth that lived in South America but went extinct ten thousand years ago. It was approximately the same size, its habits could have been similar, and its skin featured "dermal ossicles", boney scales that acted as armor. Many descriptions match, but surely no one would expect really to see an extinct monster.

The coelacanth armored fish was believed extinct for millions of years before being rediscovered in 1938, so why not the mylodon? What if an expedition was launched to hunt down a mylodon? Find out in Carnival of Cryptids, a new anthology from Kindle All-Stars.

Carnival of Cryptids is an ebook for charity featuring eight stories of mylodons, yetis, Alien Big Cats, and all the favorite not-yet-explained-by-science creatures. All proceeds go to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.